For any sailor affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard Resolute, this challenge coin is much more than a minted memento. It is the embodiment of missions met and lifelong friendships forged.

The 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter Resolute is a multi-mission craft that can travel at speeds of up to 18 knots and can launch and land an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter. Yet, the namesake for today’s high-tech cutter was a top-sail schooner commissioned in 1867 for the Revenue Cutter Service. Carrying forward a long tradition of excellence, the modern-day Resolute focuses on drug and migrant interdiction and search and rescue operations off the southeastern United States and throughout the Caribbean Sea region. In 2010, Resolute played a prominent role in the response to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including managing the Coast Guard’s media operations platform to communicate the service’s rapid, effective response to the spill.

This coin is minted in a brass alloy and accented in vibrant enamel color on both sides. The obverse features the official crest and shield of the Resolute, which proudly bears the cutter’s motto “Fama Extendere Factis” (Fame Through Good Deeds). The reverse displays the Coast Guard emblem against the tri-color band of the official Coast Guard Mark and Signature. Immediately below is a rendering of the Sun Shine Skyway Bridge, the landmark that always reminds the crew of Resolute that they are close to home.